Christian Zen: The Essential Teachings of Jesus Christ
Paperback – November 4, 2003
by Robert Powell (Compiler)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 10 ratings
Paperback US$32.99
by Robert Powell (Compiler)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 10 ratings
Paperback US$32.99
Paperback A$60.42
Jesus’ remarkable and rather puzzling statements from the Gospel of Thomas, considered “secret sayings,” have suffered centuries of misinterpretation, reinforcing a skewed view of both Christianity and Jesus himself.
In Christian Zen, noted scholar Robert Powell deciphers their true meaning and shows how they mirror Zen philosophy.
His commentaries explain that the sayings embody the timeless teaching of advaita, the esoteric expression of the inner meaning of all the great religions.
128 pages
November 4, 2003
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
"Some years ago, when the Gospel of Thomas was a brand new discovery, an undergraduate student enthusiastically told me it made Jesus sound like a Zen Master. Now, finally, from the eminent spiritual writer Robert Powell we have a definitive treatment of this theme."
—Robert Ellwood, Emeritus Professor of Religion, University of Southern California
Product details
Publisher : North Atlantic Books; First Edition (November 4, 2003)
Language : English
Paperback : 128 pages
#1,972 in Zen SpiritualityCustomer Reviews:
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 10 ratings
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Erik Weaver
4.0 out of 5 stars Christian Zen Informs the Gnostic Gospel of ThomasReviewed in the United States on September 11, 2011
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This is a just little booklet but its value is deeper than its length.
About the Author
"Some years ago, when the Gospel of Thomas was a brand new discovery, an undergraduate student enthusiastically told me it made Jesus sound like a Zen Master. Now, finally, from the eminent spiritual writer Robert Powell we have a definitive treatment of this theme."
—Robert Ellwood, Emeritus Professor of Religion, University of Southern California
Product details
Publisher : North Atlantic Books; First Edition (November 4, 2003)
Language : English
Paperback : 128 pages
#1,972 in Zen SpiritualityCustomer Reviews:
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 10 ratings
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
Erik Weaver
4.0 out of 5 stars Christian Zen Informs the Gnostic Gospel of ThomasReviewed in the United States on September 11, 2011
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This is a just little booklet but its value is deeper than its length.
It contains most of the text of the gnostic Gospel of Thomas, which is perhaps the earliest surviving Christian text.
It is thought to have been written on the order of 20-years after the death of Jesus, about the same time as the lost "Q" source material; predating the New Testament Gospels.
However, other scholars date it as late as 140 years after the death of Jesus.
In any event, it is contemporary with the four gospels found in the New Testament, which are generally accepted as being written between 50 and 130 after the death of Jesus.
There is a distinctly "Zen-ish" or "Buddhist" flavor to these sayings, all of which are attributed to Jesus.
I found the author's commentary on these to be concise and thoughtful, as well as thought-provoking. And isn't this the point?
3 people found this helpful
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Zeno
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, yet problematicReviewed in the United States on January 17, 2012
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The translation provided in the text was clear for the most part, but the author does not say whose translation he employs, or whether he translated the text himself. His commentary for each of the logia (sayings) is sometimes superficial and repetitive, while at other times being on-the-mark.
3 people found this helpful
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Zeno
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, yet problematicReviewed in the United States on January 17, 2012
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The translation provided in the text was clear for the most part, but the author does not say whose translation he employs, or whether he translated the text himself. His commentary for each of the logia (sayings) is sometimes superficial and repetitive, while at other times being on-the-mark.
He interprets the text according to his personal spiritual views of Advaita (non-dualism) rather than approaching the text on its own terms or in the context of ancient Jewish wisdom literature.
Powell also excludes about a dozen of the sayings from the Gospel of Thomas on the grounds that some of the sayings are either too obscure or out of place.
However, having read the Gospel in its entirety, I felt that he should have included some of the sayings that he left out, such as the parable of the leaven to describe the Kingdom of God.
The Gospel itself sometimes feels too obscure compared to mystical texts of other traditions such as the Upanishads, Tao Te Ching, or the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. It should be read in conjunction with other such texts in order to be better understood.
8 people found this helpful
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Steve Burns
4.0 out of 5 stars Jesus teaches ZenReviewed in the United States on September 16, 2006
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This very small book lists verses of the gospel of Thomas on each page and then gives the authors comments about what he believes they mean. The authors opinion is that in the gospel of Thomas
The Gospel itself sometimes feels too obscure compared to mystical texts of other traditions such as the Upanishads, Tao Te Ching, or the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. It should be read in conjunction with other such texts in order to be better understood.
8 people found this helpful
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Steve Burns
4.0 out of 5 stars Jesus teaches ZenReviewed in the United States on September 16, 2006
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This very small book lists verses of the gospel of Thomas on each page and then gives the authors comments about what he believes they mean. The authors opinion is that in the gospel of Thomas
- Jesus is teaching nonduality and
- how to discover the true Self and
- over come the illusion of separation and individual ego
- by living truly in the eternal Now.
I agree with the authors opinion completely and believe this book is closer to the true esoteric teachings of Jesus than the Bible.
This is a perfect book for beginners that are searching for truth or studing Zen.
13 people found this helpful
Michael Draper
4.0 out of 5 stars A non-dual interpretation of The Gospel of ThomasReviewed in the United States on February 19, 2009
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In this book, Robert Powell interprets the Gospel of Thomas from a non-dual perspective. What I mean is, he interprets Jesus as an enlightened teacher who is simply pointing to the kingdom of heaven all around you, the oneness of everything. Jesus is saying you are not separate from God, and never were. You need only to drop all religious concepts and see.
13 people found this helpful
Michael Draper
4.0 out of 5 stars A non-dual interpretation of The Gospel of ThomasReviewed in the United States on February 19, 2009
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In this book, Robert Powell interprets the Gospel of Thomas from a non-dual perspective. What I mean is, he interprets Jesus as an enlightened teacher who is simply pointing to the kingdom of heaven all around you, the oneness of everything. Jesus is saying you are not separate from God, and never were. You need only to drop all religious concepts and see.
This is what esoteric Christianity is all about.
There are other books about this. 'Inner Christianity' by Richard Smoley is also very good.
12 people found this helpful
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Carol A. Charbonneau
5.0 out of 5 stars Increase your understanding of the Bible.Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2014
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Clearly puts the teachings of Jesus into a perspective that can be absorbed , understood and personalized. Great for those of us who have wondered how Zen philosophy fits with the word of Jesus.
3 people found this helpful
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David M. Pittle
1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your time, I've already done that for you.Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2017
I am a student of the Gospel of Thomas, also a Zen Christian for more than 50 years. I was part of the Zen Christian Sangha in Tokyo and spent time in monastery in Japan. This book takes the obvious step of simply rephrasing sayings from the Gospel of Thomas and making them sound more Zen-light. I have no doubt that Jesus espoused many of the same teachings we find in the sutras and the teachings of the masters. But this book waters them down, as though reading a few words, would actually bring kensho or light on the path.
It has become common to attribute many of Jesus insights to his supposed stay in Egypt in early years, or other encounters with Buddhist teachers. This is based on the erroneous gospel stories of the flight into Egypt. But there is no evidence of this flight. And it really dismisses the amazing level of enlightenment which Jesus seemed to posess.
3 people found this helpful
12 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport
Carol A. Charbonneau
5.0 out of 5 stars Increase your understanding of the Bible.Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2014
Verified Purchase
Clearly puts the teachings of Jesus into a perspective that can be absorbed , understood and personalized. Great for those of us who have wondered how Zen philosophy fits with the word of Jesus.
3 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport
David M. Pittle
1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your time, I've already done that for you.Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2017
I am a student of the Gospel of Thomas, also a Zen Christian for more than 50 years. I was part of the Zen Christian Sangha in Tokyo and spent time in monastery in Japan. This book takes the obvious step of simply rephrasing sayings from the Gospel of Thomas and making them sound more Zen-light. I have no doubt that Jesus espoused many of the same teachings we find in the sutras and the teachings of the masters. But this book waters them down, as though reading a few words, would actually bring kensho or light on the path.
It has become common to attribute many of Jesus insights to his supposed stay in Egypt in early years, or other encounters with Buddhist teachers. This is based on the erroneous gospel stories of the flight into Egypt. But there is no evidence of this flight. And it really dismisses the amazing level of enlightenment which Jesus seemed to posess.
3 people found this helpful
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Denton
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December 1, 2016
A great alternative to the typical books on Christianity, which are usually full of the usual chapter and verse notations in bold face (3:12. ..6:11). This book actually discusses the quotations and the teachings, sometimes briefly, never saying more than needs to be said, cutting right to the heart of the matter. In the glossary at the end of the book, there were parallels in one particular concept to Baudrillard's writing on the precession of simulacra. I would recommend this to anybody interested in the meaning of it all and any self-reflection that might accompany that search.
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